Mark Sepic’s O.C.D. (Obsessive Creative Disorder) 2011 Toronto Fringe Review

Mark Sepic’s O. C. D. is one man, Mark, on a small and intimate stage surrounded by a mismatched array of made, found, and fixed instruments, wires, pedals and his laptop hooked up to a projector. He plays for a small crowd – the focus being his OCD, Obsessive Creative Disorder, and the results of such a disorder. You are in for an hour of quirky and fun music.

It starts with his love of recycling. Finding pieces, doodads, thingamabobs and whatchamacallits in the trash then cutting it, gluing it, painting it, taping it until it turns into a collected misfit orchestra.

He then becomes his own one-man band with the creative use of live recording. It’s a technique that allows a performer to play a simple tune, record it as a loop, and then continuously play it while creating more loops on top, layering until they’re satisfied.

The show starts off appropriately with our unofficial national anthem – Hockey Night in Canada played on a xylophone made with pieces of hockey sticks using taped kitchen knives as the mallets.

He then proceeds to create a symphony of abstract noises using his fine selection of recycled gems and featuring the audience’s collected car keys. My love of collected clunky key chains finally serves a purpose! The gathered result of this cacophony of noise sound like the jungle at night.

The next selections are nods towards his love of Latin inspired music – flamenco and rumba. Tugging at my heartstrings, buddy! He switches to his salvaged and saved guitars and proceeds to prove to the audience that he is one insanely talented musician and not just some guy that can cut it banging on things that make a sound. What music! And even before he taps the pedals to live record, he’s able to play in a way that makes one guitar sound like two.

Throughout the show he has images from his laptop projected on the screen behind him. This is where he shows the crowd how his community recycling projects have been used to help inspire young people to recycle, create music, disconnect from the social plug in, and expand their imaginations.

It may not seem like much when you first walk in to the Solo Room at the Randolph Centre for the Arts (Bathurst Street Theatre). Allow me to assure you, Mark Sepic’s O. C. D. is worth checking out for an hour (that barely feels like an hour) of inspiring, unique and off the wall music unlike any composition you’ve heard before.

Details

Mark Sepic’s O. C. D. is playing at The Solo Room at the Randolph Center for the Arts (736 Bathurst St) on July 7 at 9:30 pm, July 10 at 4:30 pm, July 11 at 9:15 pm, July 12 at 5 pm, July 13 at 8:15 pm, July 14 at 4:30 pm, July 16 at 2:45 pm, and July 17 at 4 pm.
– Individual Fringe tickets are available at the door for $10 ($5 for FringeKids), cash only.
– Late comers will not be permitted.
– Tickets are also available online at fringetoronto.com, by phone at 416-966-1062 or in person at The Randolph Centre for the Arts (736 Bathurst St). Advance tickets are $11 – $10 + $1 convenience fee.
Money saving passes are available if you plan to see at least 5 shows.